Although the 2005 Associated Student Inc. election is an event of the past, the ASI Board Members are working Wednesday to fill important positions that are still vacant in the election aftermath.

ASI is looking to appoint two Sacramento State students to the positions of Director of Undeclared and Director of Health and Human Services.

The spring election had provided candidates for the spots, but that the positions were later left empty because both students were academically ineligible.

Angel Barajas, ASI president, will announce his student appointments for the positions at Wednesday’s working board meeting. The process was “somewhat competitive because we had been advertising the openings for 2-3 months,” Barajas said.

The director positions can only be assumed by those students enrolled in the college that they are running for, Barajas said.

Some director positions, however, went virtually unopposed last election. For instance, the Director of Undeclared and the Director of Natural Sciences and Mathematics each offered only one candidate, leaving little choice to student voters.

“My major doesn’t lend itself to politics because students are busy doing lab work,” said Clifford Hawley, director of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

Other majors may not encourage participation in student government for a similar reason. Christine Hopkins, Vice president of University Affairs, commented that the Director of Undeclared position usually calls for freshmen or sophomore student representation because older classmen typically have a declared major. However, many of the young, eligible students may not be ready for the dedication it takes to be a leader in student government.

“Freshmen don’t seem to have much of a voice on campus because they’re just learning their way around,” Hawley said.

With regards to the Director of Health and Human Services, Hopkins expressed that the position attracted initial interest around election time, but some of the possible candidates were unable to make the time commitments necessary.

“It seems that students do not want to step up and get involved,” Hopkins wrote in an e-mail.

All board members must put in a minimum of 18 hours each month, making time constraints an issue for students who have busy work and school schedules. The time commitment may have turned students away, contributing to the lack of ASI interest last election, Hawley said.

To apply for the positions, students were required to complete a written application. After that, ASI president Angel Barajas conducted personal interviews “to sift out and pick out who he feels is the top of the top,” Hopkins said.

Following the interviews, the board directors will convene at the working board meeting on Wednesday to review Barajas’ candidates. When ASI meets Sept. 14, the board of directors will take a vote, deciding if the appointed candidates meet the criterion for each position.

Overall, there is a sense of optimism among board members about the students already elected the board of directors.

“There are four (board members) that have experience on the board, but also new participation bringing fresh ideas,” Barajas said. “I am looking forward to the start of the year with all 15 members.”

?”?”?”?”?”?”?”?”?”?”?”?”?”?”?”?”?”?”?”?”?”?”?”?”?”?”?”?”

Jessica Weilding can be reached at [email protected]